Now, on to my Bookanista Shout out for one of the most amazing peeps I know, Gretchen McNeil and POSSESS (be sure to stick around for a fabu giveaway at the end).

I first met Gretchen online. When I discovered that we both lived in Southern California, we decided that dinner was a must. And you know what…we’ve been great friends ever since.

I was thrilled when I got a chance to read POSSESS. Even more thrilled when I finished it. Trust me – this is golden, fresh, and new. But more on that in a minute – For now, just check out the trailer:

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons’ plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king

Why I liked it: There are just so many things I loved about this book – the voice, the storyline, the creeptastic scenes. All of it. Gretchen describes herself as a dark and snark writer, and that is so true. The sarcastic tone of the MC is something I think readers will enjoy. And the story – this is something NEW in the marketplace right now. It’s R.L. Stine meets Stephen King…FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC!!!

But don’t take my word for it…decide for yourself. Enter my comment contest and maybe you’ll even win a copy of the arc! That’s right, I’m giving away my arc to one of you (and don’t worry, I’ll be giving away a HB of the book once it actually comes out too)

Entering is easy – Simply leave a comment, follow my blog in someway and you’re entered. Want additional entries (up to 3)? Just do the following:

I am so excited to host the author of POSSESS and my good friend, Gretchen McNeil:

Gretchen McNeil is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4’s Code Monkeys and she currently sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. She’s a founding member of the vlog group the YARebels where she can be seen as “Monday” and she writes…occasionally. Her YA horror/paranormal POSSESS debuts with Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins, August 23, 2011.

I just recently finished POSSESS and let me tell you…LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! She is currently hosting a giveaway for an ARC on her blog. Go check it out here.

Now, on to her advice. Take it away Gretchen:

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. I’ve always been kind of a spazz. When I was a kid, adults were always trying to reign me in, tell me to control my energy, lower my voice, don’t be so crazy all the time! I felt like I was wrong somehow. Not doing something wrong, but that I was actually just WRONG. Then I grew up and embraced my inner spazz. It’s who I am and I’m quite happy to admit it. I wish I’d been able to learn that lesson earlier.

I love this – be yourself. Trust me, Gretchen is one of the coolest peeps I know and definitely, being true to herself is why!

Want to share your own advice for kids? Leave it in the comments or snatch the jpg and do your own post. I’ll be doing giveaways on Fridays throughout the month, giving various book swag prizes. So leave a comment and let me know if you do your own post!

Nisa did just that and posted her own contest here. Check it out. And THANK YOU Nisa for your support and friendship.

For more great advice for kids, be sure to check out 101 Success Secrets for Kids – featuring advice from me and hundreds of kids about school, friends, family and life. The book features tip sheets, quizzes, and fun crafts all designed to help kids embrace life and live to their potential. Available from Prufrock Press, Amazon and booksellers everywhere.

To catch everyone up on a few things, I thought I do a little random Totally Tuesday post of the things going on I think you all should know about:

Pink IS the new Black. Seriously! Any doubts, check your twitter feed. or better yet, check out the vlogs this week on Elana Johnson’s blog and see why going Pink for Lisa and Laura Roecker’s THE LIAR SOCIETY is the way to go.

This week is PACKED with GT events – book chats, virtual conferences and a presentation at CAG. Sweet! Good thing I rested all weekend.

The film list for Schindler’s List is amazing and completely PERFECT…P-E-R-F-E-C-T for my current WiP. Wanna know what it’s about? Nope. Not ready to share just yet. But I will tell you I think I’ll be writing “The End” on this draft within the next two weeks. Squeeeee!!!! I can’t wait to start revising.

My book, 101 Success Secrets comes out in just over 2 months. HOLY COW!!! That is coming up FAST FAST FAST! I started planning out my launch events, including signings and a possible book tour. If you want me to come out to you, drop me a line and I will see what works. Also, if you want in on the launch blog tour, fill out this form. Be sure to come back tomorrow fo some exciting 101 Success Secrets announcements!!!

Finally, my FAVORITE dinner buddy and all-around AWESOME friend GRETCHEN MCNEIL is revealing her cover for POSSESS today,and a few of us are helping her out. I even made a bear just for her to commemorate the event (you know me and my bears). We’re having dinner this weekend to celebrate. But for all of you – here is her amazing cover. Be sure to check out her blog and tell her how freakin amazing it is. And READ HER BOOK when it comes out in August. It’s creeptastic! A definite must read!

I guess that is all for me this am. What do you have to share? What did I miss while I was hiding away?

Okay – so I am feeling a little random today. Maybe it’s the chaos at work (or in my head)…

Whatever it is, I thought I’d share the guilty pleasures that got me through the week

#1 – Random chats with CPs. Chats that included such statements as “Dude, I really suck! I mean, seriously, this is especially sucktacular.” And “I need new shoes. No really I NEED them.” And “Can I quit? Can I? I think I need too.”

#2 Serious Twitter love. Including “Dude, you are so going down.” And “OMGOMGOMG, finish that story already. Must read. Stat.” And my personal fav. “Are you srsly correcting my gangsta?”

#3 A glass of fabulous wine. Both red and white. My Dad recently over-bought wine for an occassion. So, guess who got all the leftovers? (Hey Gretchen, you should come over!)

#4 Just Dance danceoff with the TEEN and the wanna-be TEEN (my munchkins). Guess who won? (Yep, still sore too…just sayin’)

***WARNING THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO ONE OF MY FAV GLEE EPISODES EV.ER***

Hey – it’s blog chain time again. The amazing Amanda started us off (and yeah, she is a GLEEK too) with the following question:

What do you do to keep yourself motivated when you feel like you’re not making any progress in your writing career?

Holy Cow! What a perfect question for me. I’ve been wrestling a lot with staying motivated over the long run – you know, when things get hard or change; when the good news around you makes you feel somehow … less.

Now, since I am a total GEEK and a GLEEK….I thought I would show you HOW I find motivation when it all goes to heck! BE WARNED…You are venturing INTO my head now, and it is a scary scary place!

Okay – first I start off all excited, confident, and secure.

But, things change when my goals are taking too long – when I begin to doubt they will ever happen. And the dream dies a bit. Or maybe a lot…

Just like this… (just listen – it’s freakin’ awesome!)

Yeah, I know – a little dramatic. I warned you my head was a scary place.

My amazingly awesome super online BFFs save me from this place!

They send pictures that make me laugh ( like a mocked up “cover” to my book),

words that make me cry (all motivational, and caring, and stuff),

and loan me their confidence (I really could not have stayed in this game this long w/o them)

After a while, I begin to feel a little better. Suddenly, magically, I think that maybe I CAN do this.

What do you do to find your motivation to keep going in this biz? Be sure to check out Michelle H’s very thoughtful answer yesterday and Margie’s answer tomorrow.

Have a great holiday weekend! I’ll be finding a little extra motivation while having dinner with the amazing Gretchen McNeil! If a little writerly time doesn’t help with my inspiration and motivation, nothing will!!!